


necessities

by ndnickerson



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: F/M, Fatherhood, New Baby, Reunions, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 05:13:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20829974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: Ned faces one of his biggest challenges: picking Nancy up from the airport with their infant in tow.





	necessities

Ned was paralyzed.

Kate was asleep, her rosebud lips parted slightly. Her pacifier had fallen out.

And Ned needed to pick Nancy up soon. He glanced at his watch, barely moving, afraid to wake Kate. They needed to leave.

And Ned hadn't yet put Kate in the car seat by himself.

Moving with exquisite care, Ned silently brought the car seat into the nursery and put it on the glider. The diaper bag was a backpack, a utilitarian olive-green, and it was already packed with everything Ned could possibly need. Baby aspirin, a thermometer he shuddered at the idea of using, a nose suction bulb, a soft-bristled hairbrush, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, hand sanitizer, a changing pad, three spare outfits, an old Emerson t-shirt, a couple of granola bars Nancy had tucked into the pocket, baby sunglasses, instant formula powder, a bottle of water, a baby bottle with pre-sterilized nipple packed separately, gas drops, a soft fox that played a tune when his hand was pressed, two swaddle blankets. Even so, Ned cast a suspicious glance at it. He might need more.

Socks. Of course.

Once he had packed two pairs of socks and a bib, Ned took a deep breath. Kate raised a fist in her sleep and Ned's heart stopped. Her mouth moved a few times, and then she tucked her chin down, her eyes closed and lashes down the whole time.

She did wake up once Ned placed her, moving as slowly and gently as he dared, into the car seat. Her eyes were dark blue, but according to the pediatrician, most newborn babies' eyes were dark blue. It didn't necessarily mean she had taken after her mother that way. Kate's brow furrowed slightly.

"I know," he apologized softly. "I'm trying to figure this out."

The straps were _too tight._ How could she possibly breathe like this? Ned remembered seeing Nancy tighten the straps, so at some point they must have been loose. Glancing at his watch again, he quickly ran a web search for how to loosen the straps on the car seat, Kate watching him the whole time.

Five minutes later, straps loosened and tightened again, Ned had tucked a fleece blanket around his daughter and headed toward his car with the diaper bag on his back. The wind was driving ice pellets against everything, and Ned shifted, blocking most of it from hitting Kate with his own body. Once her car seat had clicked into the already-installed base, Ned sighed in relief and swung the diaper bag into the floorboard.

He drove at least five miles under the speed limit the whole time, glancing back to see Kate's reflection in the mirror whenever his car was stopped. Two toys dangled from the handles of her car seat, but she was just gazing around with a faintly vacant expression. So far she had been mostly interested in eating and sleeping, and feeling Kate cuddled against him while she slept had filled Ned with an incredible sense of awe. Kate was so tiny and fragile, and cuddling her to his bare chest during the past few weeks had been weird, but he loved the idea that he was helping her stay warm and calm, and steadily breathing.

Ned parked in the deck at O'Hare and slid out of the car, shivering at the cold. Nancy had a sling carrier, but Ned hadn't been able to figure it out while she had been gone. He opted for the front carrier. He wanted to keep Kate close to him, to be able to shield her from the cold.

Two women approached, their heels striking the concrete of the deck, as Ned stood and wrapped the open sides of his coat around the carrier. Kate's stocking cap peeked just over the top, and he made sure her nose was unobstructed and her pacifier was still in her mouth.

"Oh my God! Isn't she precious?" one of the women said. Ned tore his eyes away from Kate long enough to glance over at her, and was a little shocked to see that she was sizing him up.

"She is," Ned agreed, reaching for the diaper backpack. He was suddenly worried that the woman might try to steal Kate—which, given Nancy's track record, wasn't a _completely_ irrational fear.

"How old is she?" the other woman asked.

"Three weeks and five days," Ned replied immediately. He had helped Nancy with the milestone photos every week. He locked the car, wondering if the women would just follow him into the terminal, and wasn't entirely surprised when they did.

"You must be a great dad," the first woman commented.

Ned felt a little warm glow at that, even though he knew she was likely just flirting. He shrugged. "Just trying to keep her alive until her mom is back," he joked, even though it had been so much more than that. He had called his own mother easily a dozen times a day; he hadn't wanted to distract Nancy for something minor that he could handle himself. He also hadn't wanted to just dump Kate at his mother's house instead of taking care of her.

"Are you flying out to see her?" Ned realized that the first woman had fallen silent after his answer, and that the second woman was picking up the conversation, her tone just polite. So at least he had succeeded in stopping the flirting, anyway.

"Picking her up to bring her home, actually."

Despite the delays, Ned arrived in time to see Nancy descending the escalator toward the baggage carousel. She grinned at the sight of them both, and as soon as she was close enough, she wrapped Ned in a careful hug with Kate between them. "God, I am so glad to see you both," she said. "I'm never leaving again," she vowed to Kate.

Ned grinned. "I know you don't mean that..."

She shook her head. "It was torture," she said, and her eyes were sincere. Every night she had called to make sure they were okay, to check in on the two people she loved most in the world. "And definitely not worth it. Can I hold her?"

Ned nodded, and together they carefully took her out of the carrier. Kate fussed a little, but as soon as she was cradled in Nancy's arms, she cuddled against her mother and let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes against the hubbub around them.

Nancy sighed too, then met Ned's eyes again. "I am so ready to be home," she said. "On the couch, feet up, _warm_..."

Ned slipped his arm around Nancy's shoulders. "Your wish is my command," he said, brushing his lips against her ear. "I love you."

"And I love you."

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was originally published elsewhere. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving feedback!


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